BIOTERRORISM:A THREAT TO GLOBAL HEALTH
Kaushik Pandey, 4th year B.V.Sc. A.H, RVC
The devastating spread of the deadly coronavirus across every continent– with the exception of Antarctica– has triggered a conspiracy theory on social media: what if the virus was really a biological weapon?
And more specifically, was it an experimental weapon that accidentally escaped from a laboratory in China?
No one knows the reality but One thing which forced many of us to know about Bioterrorism.
- Bioterrorism is the use of bacteria, viruses, or germs to purposely harm large quantities of people or communities. These “weapons” are spread through air, water, or food sources. Bioterrorism is rare and is used to threaten people, governments, and countries. In bioterrorist attacks, usually only a small number of people may be injured or affected. However, many more become afraid. They change their behavior because of their fear.
- Preparedness for bioterrorist attacks and early recognition of specific agents are essential for public health. Emergency departments may play an important role in this field. The large spectrum of bioterrorism involves not only disastrous terrorism with mass casualties, but also microevents using low technology but producing civil unrest, disruption, disease, disabilities, and death. It aims not only to cause mortality and morbidity, but also to lead to social and political disruption. Preparedness appears to be the most potent defense against possible bioterrorist events.
Bioterrorism means a deliberate use of bioweapons viz., viruses, bacteria, other microgerms and toxins (highly contagious microorganisms which cause outbreaks and subsequent mass destruction of human population) to attack humans and animals or plants. It is an emerging potential threat to human population. A 100 kg of viable anthrax spores can kill 1 to 3 million peoples. So, it is as deadly as nuclear weapons with cheaper investment.
- Francisella tularensis is a highly infectious aerosolizable intracellular pathogen that is capable of causing a debilitating or fatal disease with doses as low as 25 colony-forming units.
- Biological agents can be spread through the air or through water or in food. Bioweapons can be disseminated by aerosol over the larger geographical areas through helicopter or airplane, bomb or missile system, deliberately infected vectors or insects, through water supplies and through parcel by postal.
Categorization of bioweapons based on the risk and public health impact
- Based on potential to pose threat to public health and safety, the type of bioweapons are categorized in to A, B and C by Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, USA.
- Category A: If the biological agents pose a high risk to national security and have potential major public health impact, easily disseminated and high mortality in the target population and require special action for public health preparedness
- Tularemia (Francisella tularensis )
- Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis spores)
- Smallpox
- Botulinum toxin (Clostridium botulnum)
- Bubonic plague (Yersinia pestis )
- Viral haemorrhagic fever (Ebola virus and Marburg virus)
- Category B: Moderately easy to disseminate and have low mortality rates in the target population
- Brucellosis (Brucella spp.)
- Epsilon toxin (Clostridium perfringens)
- Salmonellosis
- E.coli O157:H7
- Shigellosis (Shigella dysenteriae)
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Glanders (Burkholderia mallei)
- Melioidoisis (Burkholderia pseudomallei)
- Psittacosis (Chlamydiophia psittaci)
- Q fever (Coxiella burnetii)
- Ricin toxin (Ricinus communis) – castor beans
- Abrin toxin (Abrus precatorius) – Rosary peas
- Staphylococcal enterotoxin B
- Typhus (Rickettsia prowazekii)
- Viral encephalitis (Alphaviruses – Venezuelan equine encephalitis, eastern equine encephalitis, western equine encephalitis)
- Cholera (Vibrio cholera)
- Cryptosporidiosis (Cryptosporidium parvum)
- Category C: Biological agents might be genetically engineered for mass dissemination and high mortality in the target population. Newly emerging pathogens
- Nipah virus
- Hantavius
- H1N1
List of bioweapons based on etiology
- Bacterial bioweapons: Staphylococcal enterotoxin-B, Anthrax spores, Botulinum toxin, Zoonotic Brucella spp., Yersinia pestis (Bubonic plague), Vibrio cholera (Cholera), Burkholderia mallei (Pseudomonas mallei) (Glanders), Zoonotic Mycobacterium spp. (Tuberculosis), shigella, Burkholderia pseudomallei (Pseudomonas pseudomallei) (Melioidosis), Fusarium oxysporum and Francisella tularensis (Tularaemia).
- Viral bioweapons: Ebola virus, Marburg virus, Smallpox virus, Influenza virus, Hanta virus.
- Rickettsial bioweapons: Coxiella burnetii (Q fever), Rickettsia rickettsii (Rocky Mountain spotted fever).
- Fungal bioweapons: Trichothecene mycotoxin (T-2 mycotoxin), Coccidiodes immitis (Coccidioidomycosis).
- References-on request
